Mama Cass being caught on camera witnessing the power and glory of Janis Joplin for the first time and mouthing "wow!" at the end is an all-time top 10 greatest moment in rock history for me.
The 'chick with the butterfly thing and her mouth open' was Momma Cass from the Mommas and the Poppas, one of the biggest musical groups at the time. I think the crowd was simply tripping balls and completely blown away. Everyone praised Janis, even if their reaction seemed muted here.
Watching Mama Cass in the audience being awed by another singer is awesome. Mama Cass helped put this festival on, and she was floored by Janice, who wasn't well known until that night.
This was actually Janis's second performance of "Ball and Chain" that day. After the first one, Cass Elliott asked her to do it again so they could get it on film. Legend has it the 2nd rendition was even better than the 1st.
This was the performance which launched Janis to stardom. She was only 24 years old... 3 years later, she was dead. We were raised about 3 miles from each other. The Pride of Port Arthur, TX..😊
Hey, my sister used to take Janis home after Art Club meetings on Wednesdays. We lived in Park Place One and Janis's home was just off of 32nd Street and was on the way home. TJ'73
@@markdecker6190 Well, I was five or six years old at the time she was in high school. I believe there was some jealousy when she made it big and some of her classmates skipped the 10 year class reunion that she attended because of that.
@markdecker6190 I once read an interview of former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, in which he stated that he was in the same year as Janis in high school, and admitted to having laughed at her a couple of times while she was being bullied. He very much regrets it and wished he'd gotten the chance to apologize to her.
Etta James was also a hero to Janis. She met her once as a little girl at a concert in Tulsa. That makes your comparison of the two valid and very observant.
Everyone plays the same Janis Joplin songs over and over and over! My favorite that's rarely played is " Little Girl Blue" it shows her pain and strong emotions without screaming as much! She's one of my favorite singers! Bluey! If you don't play it listen for your own enjoyment
It's fair to compare Janis Joplin and Etta James with one another. No matter what they sang, the audience knew they were in a different stratosphere. In the fifty plus years since I first heard Janis sing this song, it still gives me goosebumps each and every time I hear it.
When you grow up this music you don't know how great it was until your older, my generation was spoiled we were blessed.RIP Janis gone to soon, never forgotten.
I grew up with this music and have ALWAYS known how great it was and STILL is. Damn shame we never got to hear Janis and Robert Plant sing together. That would have been epic.
It was Mama Cass of the legendary Mamas and the Papas, with her mouth agape, clearly in awe of Janis' unbelievable soul and talent. All these decades later, I am also still in awe of a Janis Joplin performance. It ended way too soon, she was amazing!
The first Monterrey Pops was organized in Cass Elliott's living room. Janis's first performance didn't get recorded and Cass had the clout to get her back for a second that could be included on the documentary film.
The woman you referenced in the audience was Cass Elliot of the Mama and Papa's, who was an absolutely magnificent singer herself. Seeing her react to Janis Joplin says it all about Joplin's performance.
This was a film editing trick. Mama Cass was actually reacting to Ravi Shankar, if you look close you can see these shots where at a different time of day than the Big Bro performance.
Finally! You see why she was so mourned and so missed. She practically skipped off the stage because she knew she had shown her skills at her first major venue and surely blew many established acts out of the water! Her bios are touching...what she writes home about how close her dream was. We were lucky!
It was 1967, Monterey Pop fest. Pretty much everybody were probably trippin' LOL. his was Janis' debut performance with Big Brother and the Holding Company
A couple of fun facts about Monterey pop: It was organized in 7 weeks by John Phillips (of the Mamas and the Papas) and producer Lou Adler. It was the first American appearance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, and Ravi Shankar. It was the first large scale appearance by Janis AND it introduced Otis Redding to an American audience.
"Monterey Pop" was the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, one of the most momentous music festivals in rock history. Just for starters, it launched Janis Joplin to stardom on the strength of this performance. It did likewise for the great Otis Redding, who sadly died in a plane crash before the end of the year, only three days after recording "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay." But most of all, it marked the triumphant return of Jimi Hendrix, who went to England to become a star as the leader of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and then re-imported into the United States as a sensation. The funniest part? The Who were originally scheduled to close the last night of the festival, since they were one of the biggest bands on Earth at the time - except that they had all seen Jimi perform in England, and they were like, "F that, there ain't no way we're going on after that guy! He won't leave us a stage to play on!" Which was wise - Jimi closed his set with the legendary burning of his Stratocaster. Yes, the film clip you were thinking of in your mind right now as I mention it. That one. That was what The Who didn't want to have to try to one-up, and they were smart not to try. LOL BP, I don't know if you ever do long form reactions, but if you are looking for a humdinger of a concert film to react to in its entirety, you could do far worse than this one. It is jam-packed with absolutely legendary historic moments.
So I was there at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and saw Janis and Jimi, along with so many other great groups that were launched this very weekend. The woman you saw, Mama Cass of the Mamas and Papas, was instrumental in launching this first time festival. The venue was the Monterey County Fairgrounds in the Horse Show arena. Those people clapping politely were rich and seated down front. But we poor youth were very much in attendance and had our little minds blown🤯. I got to see Janis a few years later at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and she blew the doors off! A real fun performance of hers is from the Tom Jones show and they really rock it belting out"raise Your Hand"
You are correct, this is a classic performance. That judgement requires hindsight though.. The Monteray Pop Festival was the first time Janis performed in front of a large audience. No one had seen her before. The female singers of the day were mostly folk singers, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and the like. No one had ever heard a female singer sing the way Janis did. I suspect many in the audience were taken aback. One of the organizrs of this Event was Cass Elliot, of the Mamas and the Papas. That was her who said 'wow' I truly enjoy your reactions. I think your musical background helps you to ground your opinions, and adds context to some of the things you notice and comment on. Cheers.
You have to understand that we were so spoiled by the talent of this time period. So many bands and singers were epic that is why they are still loved 50 to 60 years later. We were also doing drugs so we were very laid back. Some in that crowd were also very talented musicians. We just sat back and let the performances fill our souls. Janis will always be one of my favorites.
That was Cass Elliot with the butterfly...also at the end picture of the audience, you can see the legendary Clive Davis wearing a white pullover and clapping. He signed her up with a recording contract that night with Columbia Records.
@@paulettapersell1375I'm still in awe at younger me singing both of those at karaoke and killing it.. the one running the show was hand slapping her table to give me a beat when I did Mercedes Benz.
Yes, she was gone too soon and sometimes I have to wonder if she knew how much she was really loved. She gave everyone her heart and soul when she performed and maybe she didn't save enough for herself. She is sooooo missed. Thank you for reacting to Little Miss Dynamite. She was one of a kind.
I had the privilege of seeing her in concert. (I 'm old) She is still unmatched after all these years. Please react to "Work Me, Lord". It will knock your socks off!
Now you need to see the woman who wrote the song do it, Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton) Janis had asked her permission to do this song and Big Mama told her she could, later she would say "Janis does it her way, and I do it mine".
This was a performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. It was my first time seeing Janis, it was recorded so we were exposed to a lot of new people and their music for the first time . The lady with the butterfly clip was Cass Elliot from the Mamas and the Papas, who had also performed there with California Dreaming, I believe. I was 15 and was blown away by these performances.😍
The crowd totally knew what they were in for. Mama Cass was there, along with Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas, the Who, and the Byrds. She blew them all away! I wish id been there!
I graduated from high school in 1970. This is the background music of life. Love it. Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, The Band, Santana, Simon and Garfunkle and so many more...check them out.
The Wow chick in the front row was Mama Cass Eliot from the mamas and the papas. Ball abd chain was an old Blues s. Originaly done by Big Mama Thornton in the late 30's or early 40's ong
So many of the most artistic individuals with unbelievable talent were/are tormented souls. It’s a gift we get to come to know and appreciate as a result of their fame but also feel the sorrow of loss when they’re time came way too soon.
Haha, that one chick in the crowd 😂😂 THAT was Mamma Cass (Cass Elliott) from the Mammas And The Papas. Check out pretty much anything by them. The Monterey pop festival is kinda the first time the world got to really hear Janis, and yeah, they knew ✌️
Montery Pop was a festival organized by the members of the Mama's (you may recognize Cass Elliot in the audience), and the Papas.A film was made of the entire event. Great performances by Otis Redding.
Thank you, THANK you, THANK YOU for finally reacting to this performance! I thought that maybe you had already watched it at home because I couldn't understand what you were waiting for! I'm super glad that you, like me, were TOTALLY blown away by this epic performance. I was 19 years old and in the Air Force when this happened, so I not only had no idea about this festival, I also wasn't familiar with Janis Joplin! Thankfully, I caught on quick!
This song was written by a blues artist by the name of Big Mamma Thornton in 1959 who did not release it on record until 1968. The Monterrey Pop Festival where Janis Joplin is singing the song Ball ' n ' Chain was in 1967.
My Janis Joplin PEARL vinyl has been one of my favorite albums for many, many years! Jim Morrison, Hendrix, Janis & others gone wayyy too soon! ☮️ ❤️ 🎶
Ok, Pegasus. You saw Mama Cass Eliott in her sunglasses watch in awe just you did as Janis blew away the crowd at Monterey. But you have also seen her with her group, the Mamas and the Papas. California Dreamin' you left you happy. MONDAY, MONDAY I SAW HER AGAIN, &DL DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE are where you follow up. As for Janis, she is an infamous member of the 27 club. Her favorite singer is Bessie Smith. Janis even paid for a headstone for Bessie's grave when found out there was no marker. MOVE OVER, SUMMERTIME, & PIECE OF MY HEART are some of the best songs she recorded. And don't forget to touch on Bessie Smith. Keep going and enjoy
The name of the band was "Big Brother and the Holding Company". Janis was the lead singer at this point. Monterey is a city in California and the concert was Monterey Pop Festival.
Yup it’s the Monterey Pop Festival and I was at this dang show!!And yes, Janis was a real blues singer! Believe me- we were all blown away by her. Yes it’s a cover of a tune written for Big Mama Thornton. You should also react to her version of Summertime from Porgy and Bess. ! By the way- this is a chopped edited version of the performance. For laughing and dancing Janis- check her killin it with Tom Jones on Raise Your Hand.
Ok BP, you speak of Etta James....there is a Modern Female Blues Singer (IMO the Queen of Modern Blues) that you have GOT to checkout. Beth Hart, She does a Cover of Etta`s "Id Rather Go Blind" and her other Covers of "Ill Take Care of you" and "Am I The One" & "Black Coffee"will Blow You Away! Beth`s Collab`s with Joe Bonamassa are World Class. Joe IMO is the Best Gutarist that is Living on Earth. He was a Child Prodigy, at 12 Years Old He was Opening for BB King.....Real Sh*t Brother!!!!!
Songs that Janis Joplin slew include the acapella "Mercedes Benz", and also "Me and Bobby McGee." For another great live performance, try the song "Maybe", which she sang on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in March 1969.
Janis Joplin had a remarkable vocal technique, which made you look at her in awe. That voice somehow really works, and her performance is the "icing on the cake." But that damn 27 club needed a new member.... RIP Janis.
Almost all of these people in the audience had heard of Janis’ name, but nobody had really seen her yet because I believe this was her first performance at the Concert in Monterey Pop. This video was never supposed to be recorded. I think it was somebody in the audience, or maybe backstage that decided to record, and very thankful they did. The lady who knew what she was hearing in the audience was Cass Elliot/Mama Cass. I love Etta James, and all the rest that can sing the Blues, but nobody, and I mean nobody can belt out a song like Janis Joplin. She’s GOATED #1…Janis paved the way for women in ROCK music. I was hoping you would do this song, I know I had requested it. Super great reaction. Now, you’ve got to please do “Maybe” Live on the Ed Sullivan Show.🔥❤🔥
There were sooooo many great female vocalists in the 60s and 70s The kind that when you heard them go crazy onstage, you never forgot it. Janis was one, Ann Wilson, Linda Rhonstadt, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, and Aretha Franklin, all could blow you away. Thanks for the great reaction!
First off... Love you and your reactions !! as a side note. Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company (relative "Unknowns" from San Francisco) played the second day (saturday) of Monterey, to rave reviews. For some reason, D.A. Pennebacker, the cinematographer, did not record that performance, so the promoters (this year the promoters were John and Michelle Phillips. "half" of the very popular group, "The Mama's and the Papa's". (That's why "Mama" Cass Elliot was featured in the recording) invited Janis back on the last day to perform "Ball & Chain" again, to be filmed. Her backing group feared Janis would be signed leaving them to fend for themselves. The promoters also informed a bunch of "record labels", that this sensational woman was going to perform again on the last day, so about 8 record companies offered her a contract, and she signed with Clive Davis from Colombia Records, contingent that her band be signed with her. The rest, as they say... "Is history" !! Saturday- the show that featured many SF groups, Canned Heat, the Byrds, Paul Butterfield, the Electric Flag and more!!!! The first show was Friday evening with the Association.
Initially the San Francisco bands wouldn’t sign the waivers to be filmed for this movie. Big Brother & the Holding Company had already performed but someone got to Janis (Albert Grossman, I think) and she convinced the band to sign the waiver so they could be filmed. This was the second performance from them on the day but the only one filmed. ✌️☮️
Like Charlie Daniels said in the song Reflections, "The world heard a knock It was Janis at the door, they let her in And when it seemed This whole world was fallin' apart The houselights would fall And the music would start She'd be givin' us all a piece of her heart Once again"
Big Brother and the Holding Company was the band and Monterey Pop was a music festival in 1967 and released as a film in 1968. Your reaction is priceless...love it. Thank you for allowing me to hear some of my favorite music from a different perspective. Congrats to you and your wife on the new addition to your family and hope you have many great family memories full of beautiful music.
That one chick, was Mama Cass from The Momas & the Papas. She was part of getting Janis at this festival. Janis is a one and only. She had a spirit that soared, screamed & laughed while offering her & those who were out there to hear her magic.
Janis Joplin - unique. Her songs were hard grafting blues vocals from the depths of her soul, that in an instant were brought back to the most gentle lyrics and tones - and then finished off superbly as required. The bands she played with were also superb in their own right.
In 1967, Joplin rose to prominence following an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. Janis Joplin, with her band Big Brother & The Holding Company, who performed twice at the festival, the second time so camera crews could film her performance.
The group is Big Brother and the Holding Company, Janis’s group. This album was brought home by my brother from the Viet Nam conflict and I became a fan. “Piece of My Heart” and “ Ball and Chain” were in that album, “Summertime” too and more.
In Don McLean song American Pie he wrote, " I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news but she just smiled and walked away" he was singing of Janis Joplin.
That was Mama Cass and she is the reason she was filmed at the Monterey pop festival. She is all that in her own right. And that would be Big Brother and the Holding Company backing her up. Also back then we sat still for the performance
The Monterey Pop Festival took place at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California, from June 16 to 18, 1967. This landmark event is often credited with launching the "Summer of Love" and featured iconic performances by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Who, attracting around 200,000 attendees.
This is Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, which was her band, at the Monterey Pop Music Festival, June 1967. The reason the camera keeps going to her feet is because everyone was stoned and the camera operator couldn't keep it straight. That was Mama Cass from the Mommas and the Poppas, who is also, sadly, a member of the 27 club.
I actually saw Etta James with Van Morrison when I was in like 7th grade - such an incredible show. I wish I had been able to see Janis. I know my brother saw her, and an old friend of mine actually partied with her. Janis is so incredible.
I was lucky enough to see Janis in a small venue in Denver Colorado many years ago. She was incredible live and I was able to stand just in front of the stage no more than 10 feet away.
The three greatest live moments that I've seen reactions to are Stevie Ray Texas Flood at El Macambo, Skynard Freebird Oakland '77, and this otherworldly performance from Janis. Honorable mention virtually every performance at Woodstock 😊
Monterey Pop Festival! Mama Cass's “California Dreaming” Classic is who they focus on in the audience! The Group “Mama’s and Papa’s”. They broke up when she died young! Iconic popular group way back in the day… We had incredible talent in the late 60’s and 70’s…I loved concerts back then because people behaved and actually listened to a concert rather than causing so much distraction today!!! It was about the music, it was a raw and Great live performance!
This was from the movie "Monterey Pop" and was edited from two separate performances -- the audience shots are from Saturday afternoon, and the band shots are from Sunday evening. Yes, the audience didn't know what they had just seen. Big Brother was an afternoon warmup band, and nobody expected to see anything so wild and so insanely good. It caught them flat-footed, and they just didn't know what to make of it. The sound was radical; back then women did not sound like this. In groups like the Jefferson Airplane, or the Mamas and the Papas (both of whom sang at this festival), girl singers cultivated a "pretty" sound, nothing like the wild, gut-wrenching, and barely attached to the ground singing from JJ. So most of the audience was simply too stunned to even respond. But music folks knew what they had seen, and there are several stories of rock critics and agents and producers that were utterly floored by it. Clive Davis (the president of Columbia Records) was there, and called this performance "absolutely riveting and hypnotic and compelling and soul stirring in such a way that she was representative of an epiphany that changed the rest of my life." He signed them shortly afterward (and it cost him a lot to buy them out of their previous recording contract).
The bands that were in attendance and who also witnessed this were: Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, The Byrds, Grateful Dead, The Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, and Buffalo Springfield
The band is Big Brother & The Holding Company w/ Janis Joplin, the show is The Monterey Pop Festival from ’67. I believe it was the brainchild of John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas. It had a lot of really great performances from artists now considered legendary but at the time were relatively unknown, like Janis & Jimi Hendrix. And I think Big Momma Thornton is the songwriter. If you liked Etta, you may enjoy her music too. And the audience was mainly a bunch of stoned hippies so they were vibing but mellow about it.
I'm sure this has already been said, but I love you, man. This was shot at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967. It was released as a documentary "Monterey Pop" in 1968. The BAND she's singing for is Big Brother and the Holding Company. MANY early hits are off their one album. When she cut "Pearl", as a solo artist, she went into music history. Me & Bobby McGee is from that album, not quite the same style of blues. Also check out "Another Piece of My Heart" with Big Brother.
That was Mama Cass in the audience watching Janis
Mama Cass being caught on camera witnessing the power and glory of Janis Joplin for the first time and mouthing "wow!" at the end is an all-time top 10 greatest moment in rock history for me.
❤ Momma Cass another great one
Rip mama cass, janis joplin
THANK YOU!!!!! ❤❤❤
that's what I thought !
The 'chick with the butterfly thing and her mouth open' was Momma Cass from the Mommas and the Poppas, one of the biggest musical groups at the time. I think the crowd was simply tripping balls and completely blown away. Everyone praised Janis, even if their reaction seemed muted here.
Sitting close to her was record mogul Clive Davis who signed Janis right after this to a solo record deal with his company (Arista Records).
Mama Cass from the Mamas and Papas
Cass Elliott hated being called Mama. Just sayin.....
@@jeanmc4213 No one cares about your virtue signaling, just sayin.
@@jeanmc4213 There was actually a line from one of the Mommas and Poppas songs that went "No one's gettin' fat 'cept Momma Cass."
Some people sing the blues... Janis lived it
Watching Mama Cass in the audience being awed by another singer is awesome. Mama Cass helped put this festival on, and she was floored by Janice, who wasn't well known until that night.
This was actually Janis's second performance of "Ball and Chain" that day. After the first one, Cass Elliott asked her to do it again so they could get it on film. Legend has it the 2nd rendition was even better than the 1st.
Crazy!
It was
Yes, true story.
This was the performance which launched Janis to stardom. She was only 24 years old... 3 years later, she was dead. We were raised about 3 miles from each other. The Pride of Port Arthur, TX..😊
Hey, my sister used to take Janis home after Art Club meetings on Wednesdays. We lived in Park Place One and Janis's home was just off of 32nd Street and was on the way home. TJ'73
Was she really ostracized and made fun of by kids from her school as has been reported?
@@markdecker6190 Well, I was five or six years old at the time she was in high school. I believe there was some jealousy when she made it big and some of her classmates skipped the 10 year class reunion that she attended because of that.
@markdecker6190 I once read an interview of former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, in which he stated that he was in the same year as Janis in high school, and admitted to having laughed at her a couple of times while she was being bullied. He very much regrets it and wished he'd gotten the chance to apologize to her.
Sadly she wasn’t the Pride of Port Arther when she was growig up,
Etta James was also a hero to Janis. She met her once as a little girl at a concert in Tulsa. That makes your comparison of the two valid and very observant.
Everyone plays the same Janis Joplin songs over and over and over! My favorite that's rarely played is " Little Girl Blue" it shows her pain and strong emotions without screaming as much! She's one of my favorite singers! Bluey! If you don't play it listen for your own enjoyment
Janis doesn't scream - she enunciates her inner pain at the time.
It's fair to compare Janis Joplin and Etta James with one another. No matter what they sang, the audience knew they were in a different stratosphere. In the fifty plus years since I first heard Janis sing this song, it still gives me goosebumps each and every time I hear it.
When you grow up this music you don't know how great it was until your older, my generation was spoiled we were blessed.RIP Janis gone to soon, never forgotten.
I grew up with this music and have ALWAYS known how great it was and STILL is. Damn shame we never got to hear Janis and Robert Plant sing together. That would have been epic.
Well said!
It was Mama Cass of the legendary Mamas and the Papas, with her mouth agape, clearly in awe of Janis' unbelievable soul and talent. All these decades later, I am also still in awe of a Janis Joplin performance. It ended way too soon, she was amazing!
Cass Elliott hated being called Mama.
The first Monterrey Pops was organized in Cass Elliott's living room. Janis's first performance didn't get recorded and Cass had the clout to get her back for a second that could be included on the documentary film.
This was a cover of Big Mamma Thornton's Ball & Chain. written in 1959.
The woman you referenced in the audience was Cass Elliot of the Mama and Papa's, who was an absolutely magnificent singer herself. Seeing her react to Janis Joplin says it all about Joplin's performance.
This was a film editing trick. Mama Cass was actually reacting to Ravi Shankar, if you look close you can see these shots where at a different time of day than the Big Bro performance.
Thank you for calling her by her actual name. Cass Elliott hated being called Mama.
Finally! You see why she was so mourned and so missed. She practically skipped off the stage because she knew she had shown her skills at her first major venue and surely blew many established acts out of the water! Her bios are touching...what she writes home about how close her dream was. We were lucky!
It was 1967, Monterey Pop fest. Pretty much everybody were probably trippin' LOL. his was Janis' debut performance with Big Brother and the Holding Company
A couple of fun facts about Monterey pop: It was organized in 7 weeks by John Phillips (of the Mamas and the Papas) and producer Lou Adler. It was the first American appearance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, and Ravi Shankar. It was the first large scale appearance by Janis AND it introduced Otis Redding to an American audience.
"Monterey Pop" was the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, one of the most momentous music festivals in rock history. Just for starters, it launched Janis Joplin to stardom on the strength of this performance. It did likewise for the great Otis Redding, who sadly died in a plane crash before the end of the year, only three days after recording "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay."
But most of all, it marked the triumphant return of Jimi Hendrix, who went to England to become a star as the leader of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and then re-imported into the United States as a sensation. The funniest part? The Who were originally scheduled to close the last night of the festival, since they were one of the biggest bands on Earth at the time - except that they had all seen Jimi perform in England, and they were like, "F that, there ain't no way we're going on after that guy! He won't leave us a stage to play on!" Which was wise - Jimi closed his set with the legendary burning of his Stratocaster. Yes, the film clip you were thinking of in your mind right now as I mention it. That one. That was what The Who didn't want to have to try to one-up, and they were smart not to try. LOL
BP, I don't know if you ever do long form reactions, but if you are looking for a humdinger of a concert film to react to in its entirety, you could do far worse than this one. It is jam-packed with absolutely legendary historic moments.
So I was there at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and saw Janis and Jimi, along with so many other great groups that were launched this very weekend. The woman you saw, Mama Cass of the Mamas and Papas, was instrumental in launching this first time festival. The venue was the Monterey County Fairgrounds in the Horse Show arena. Those people clapping politely were rich and seated down front. But we poor youth were very much in attendance and had our little minds blown🤯. I got to see Janis a few years later at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and she blew the doors off! A real fun performance of hers is from the Tom Jones show and they really rock it belting out"raise Your Hand"
You are correct, this is a classic performance. That judgement requires hindsight though.. The Monteray Pop Festival was the first time Janis performed in front of a large audience. No one had seen her before. The female singers of the day were mostly folk singers, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and the like. No one had ever heard a female singer sing the way Janis did. I suspect many in the audience were taken aback. One of the organizrs of this Event was Cass Elliot, of the Mamas and the Papas. That was her who said 'wow'
I truly enjoy your reactions. I think your musical background helps you to ground your opinions, and adds context to some of the things you notice and comment on. Cheers.
Bobby McGee and Piece of my Heart are amazing.
Yes to both!
@@rlhcat7662 Her “Summertime” hands down best rendition ever
But Bobby McGee holds a special lace in my heart
@@nancyhicks9859 Yes, it's amazing, but tied for me with Fantasia Barrino's performance on American Idol in 2006.
@@nancyhicks9859 There was nothing like driving with friends in a car with Janis' Bobby McGee on the radio. The car was rocking!
She was one of those once in a million year voices! She was so talented and died way before her full potential.
So sad
You have to understand that we were so spoiled by the talent of this time period. So many bands and singers were epic that is why they are still loved 50 to 60 years later. We were also doing drugs so we were very laid back. Some in that crowd were also very talented musicians. We just sat back and let the performances fill our souls. Janis will always be one of my favorites.
That was Cass Elliot with the butterfly...also at the end picture of the audience, you can see the legendary Clive Davis wearing a white pullover and clapping. He signed her up with a recording contract that night with Columbia Records.
My favorite is "Me and Bobby McGee". The story and clarity. It will take you to the church you went to in your youth.
I also loved Mercedes-Benz, they were both on my No#1 list for her.
@@paulettapersell1375I'm still in awe at younger me singing both of those at karaoke and killing it.. the one running the show was hand slapping her table to give me a beat when I did Mercedes Benz.
@@TheDopekitty I love to dance to it. I could do some good rhythm beat stopping. Lol
Written&first recorded by Kris Kristofferson.
Stomping.
Yes, she was gone too soon and sometimes I have to wonder if she knew how much she was really loved. She gave everyone her heart and soul when she performed and maybe she didn't save enough for herself. She is sooooo missed. Thank you for reacting to Little Miss Dynamite. She was one of a kind.
I had the privilege of seeing her in concert. (I 'm old) She is still unmatched after all these years. Please react to "Work Me, Lord". It will knock your socks off!
She had some soul. She was an icon. So sad she passed 💚💚💚
Now you need to see the woman who wrote the song do it, Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton) Janis had asked her permission to do this song and Big Mama told her she could, later she would say "Janis does it her way, and I do it mine".
This was a performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. It was my first time seeing Janis, it was recorded so we were exposed to a lot of new people and their music for the first time . The lady with the butterfly clip was Cass Elliot from the Mamas and the Papas, who had also performed there with California Dreaming, I believe. I was 15 and was blown away by these performances.😍
That woman they kept showing in the crowd was Mama Cash from the Mamas and the Papas. Very awesome performance!
The studio version on her album "Cheap Thrills" is a must also. It's beyond beautiful
That was Mama Cass sitting in the front with her mouth open in awe...and she was incredible herself!!
The crowd totally knew what they were in for. Mama Cass was there, along with Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas, the Who, and the Byrds. She blew them all away! I wish id been there!
I graduated from high school in 1970. This is the background music of life. Love it. Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, The Band, Santana, Simon and Garfunkle and so many more...check them out.
This entire show put Big Brother and Janice Joplin on the musical map
The Wow chick in the front row was Mama Cass Eliot from the mamas and the papas. Ball abd chain was an old Blues s. Originaly done by Big Mama Thornton in the late 30's or early 40's
ong
the older you get the more emotional you get heaing it. Makes my eyes get wet.....so much genuine soul
So many of the most artistic individuals with unbelievable talent were/are tormented souls. It’s a gift we get to come to know and appreciate as a result of their fame but also feel the sorrow of loss when they’re time came way too soon.
This was a treat! Thank you her voice!
Next level performance, as always, from Ms Joplin
Haha, that one chick in the crowd 😂😂 THAT was Mamma Cass (Cass Elliott) from the Mammas And The Papas. Check out pretty much anything by them. The Monterey pop festival is kinda the first time the world got to really hear Janis, and yeah, they knew ✌️
Montery Pop was a festival organized by the members of the Mama's (you may recognize Cass Elliot in the audience), and the Papas.A film was made of the entire event. Great performances by Otis Redding.
Exactly what I was going to share. Cass was such a giver to the artists in Cali. CSNY said she was the Gertrude Stein of the 1960s.
Thank you, THANK you, THANK YOU for finally reacting to this performance! I thought that maybe you had already watched it at home because I couldn't understand what you were waiting for! I'm super glad that you, like me, were TOTALLY blown away by this epic performance. I was 19 years old and in the Air Force when this happened, so I not only had no idea about this festival, I also wasn't familiar with Janis Joplin! Thankfully, I caught on quick!
This song was written by a blues artist by the name of Big Mamma Thornton in 1959 who did not release it on record until 1968.
The Monterrey Pop Festival where Janis Joplin is singing the song Ball ' n ' Chain was in 1967.
My Janis Joplin PEARL vinyl has been one of my favorite albums for many, many years! Jim Morrison, Hendrix, Janis & others gone wayyy too soon! ☮️ ❤️ 🎶
Ok, Pegasus.
You saw Mama Cass Eliott in her sunglasses watch in awe just you did as Janis blew away the crowd at Monterey. But you have also seen her with her group, the Mamas and the Papas.
California Dreamin' you left you happy. MONDAY, MONDAY
I SAW HER AGAIN,
&DL DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE are where you follow up.
As for Janis, she is an infamous member of the 27 club. Her favorite singer is Bessie Smith. Janis even paid for a headstone for Bessie's grave when found out there was no marker.
MOVE OVER,
SUMMERTIME,
& PIECE OF MY HEART are some of the best songs she recorded.
And don't forget to touch on Bessie Smith.
Keep going and enjoy
Move Over is one of Janice' best songs.
The name of the band was "Big Brother and the Holding Company". Janis was the lead singer at this point. Monterey is a city in California and the concert was Monterey Pop Festival.
Janice was a guest on Tom Jones' variety show and they did an excellent performance of Raise Your Hand. Definitely worth watching!
Yes, I was just going to say this!
Ohh my girl Janice. No other like her ❤❤❤❤❤
Great reaction again..
Yes!!
Janis = Queen of the Blues
Yup it’s the Monterey Pop Festival and I was at this dang show!!And yes, Janis was a real blues singer!
Believe me- we were all blown away by her. Yes it’s a cover of a tune written for Big Mama Thornton. You should also react to her version of Summertime from Porgy and Bess.
!
By the way- this is a chopped edited version of the performance.
For laughing and dancing Janis- check her killin it with Tom Jones on Raise Your Hand.
Have been waiting for you to react to this one, thank you!😊
Loved your reaction❤
🌸 this is my favorite performance of Janis.
Ok BP, you speak of Etta James....there is a Modern Female Blues Singer (IMO the Queen of Modern Blues) that you have GOT to checkout. Beth Hart, She does a Cover of Etta`s "Id Rather Go Blind" and her other Covers of "Ill Take Care of you" and "Am I The One" & "Black Coffee"will Blow You Away! Beth`s Collab`s with Joe Bonamassa are World Class. Joe IMO is the Best Gutarist that is Living on Earth. He was a Child Prodigy, at 12 Years Old He was Opening for BB King.....Real Sh*t Brother!!!!!
Songs that Janis Joplin slew include the acapella "Mercedes Benz", and also "Me and Bobby McGee." For another great live performance, try the song "Maybe", which she sang on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in March 1969.
Janis Joplin had a remarkable vocal technique, which made you look at her in awe. That voice somehow really works, and her performance is the "icing on the cake." But that damn 27 club needed a new member.... RIP Janis.
Almost all of these people in the audience had heard of Janis’ name, but nobody had really seen her yet because I believe this was her first performance at the Concert in Monterey Pop. This video was never supposed to be recorded. I think it was somebody in the audience, or maybe backstage that decided to record, and very thankful they did. The lady who knew what she was hearing in the audience was Cass Elliot/Mama Cass. I love Etta James, and all the rest that can sing the Blues, but nobody, and I mean nobody can belt out a song like Janis Joplin. She’s GOATED #1…Janis paved the way for women in ROCK music. I was hoping you would do this song, I know I had requested it. Super great reaction. Now, you’ve got to please do “Maybe” Live on the Ed Sullivan Show.🔥❤🔥
I was at a Janis Joplin concert. It was a small venue and we all stood the entire time! I can still feel her voice.
You are so lucky to have seen the great Janis Joplin!!
You should check out her live versions of "Cry Baby ", "Summertime ", and "Work Me Lord ". Amazing!
Greatest singer ever. My opinion is that Cry Baby Cry live by Janis is the greatest performance I have ever seen on the web.
There were sooooo many great female vocalists in the 60s and 70s The kind that when you heard them go crazy onstage, you never forgot it. Janis was one, Ann Wilson, Linda Rhonstadt, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, and Aretha Franklin, all could blow you away. Thanks for the great reaction!
First off... Love you and your reactions !! as a side note. Janis Joplin and Big Brother
and the Holding Company (relative "Unknowns" from San Francisco) played the second day (saturday)
of Monterey, to rave reviews. For some reason, D.A. Pennebacker, the cinematographer, did not record that performance,
so the promoters (this year the promoters were John and Michelle Phillips.
"half" of the very popular group, "The Mama's and the Papa's". (That's why "Mama" Cass Elliot
was featured in the recording) invited Janis back on the last day to perform "Ball & Chain"
again, to be filmed. Her backing group feared Janis would be signed leaving them to fend for themselves.
The promoters also informed a bunch of "record labels", that this sensational woman
was going to perform again on the last day, so about 8 record companies offered her a
contract, and she signed with Clive Davis from Colombia Records, contingent that her band be signed with her.
The rest, as they say... "Is history" !!
Saturday- the show that featured many SF groups, Canned Heat, the Byrds, Paul Butterfield, the Electric Flag and more!!!!
The first show was Friday evening with the Association.
Big Momma Thorton origional. She was also the origional for : Hound Dog. Buddy Guy played 🎸 for her.
She like all the other 27.. were one of a kind, legendary!!! MAY THEY R I P.. ❤
Best blues and Guitar performance EVER...Beth & Joe - I'd Rather Go Blind - Live in Amsterdam
Awesome reaction Robert! You go!!
Yes, you need to hear “Crybaby,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” and “Piece of my Heart.”
Still causes shivers all these years later.
Initially the San Francisco bands wouldn’t sign the waivers to be filmed for this movie. Big Brother & the Holding Company had already performed but someone got to Janis (Albert Grossman, I think) and she convinced the band to sign the waiver so they could be filmed. This was the second performance from them on the day but the only one filmed. ✌️☮️
She was the greatest singer come out from Texas ❤❤❤legend 🙌
The butterfly chic is Cass Elliott from the Mama's and the Pappa's
Great 60's rock😊
Like Charlie Daniels said in the song Reflections,
"The world heard a knock
It was Janis at the door, they let her in
And when it seemed
This whole world was fallin' apart
The houselights would fall
And the music would start
She'd be givin' us all a piece of her heart
Once again"
Big Brother and the Holding Company was the band and Monterey Pop was a music festival in 1967 and released as a film in 1968. Your reaction is priceless...love it. Thank you for allowing me to hear some of my favorite music from a different perspective. Congrats to you and your wife on the new addition to your family and hope you have many great family memories full of beautiful music.
Monterey Pop Festival, my older brother was there. It was an iconic concert.
That one chick, was Mama Cass from The Momas & the Papas. She was part of getting Janis at this festival. Janis is a one and only. She had a spirit that soared, screamed & laughed while offering her & those who were out there to hear her magic.
Janis Joplin - unique. Her songs were hard grafting blues vocals from the depths of her soul, that in an instant were brought back to the most gentle lyrics and tones - and then finished off superbly as required. The bands she played with were also superb in their own right.
In 1967, Joplin rose to prominence following an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. Janis Joplin, with her band Big Brother & The Holding Company, who performed twice at the festival, the second time so camera crews could film her performance.
Gotta love Janis !
They were SO HIGH 😊
This was the performance that catapulted her short but amazing career. Cry baby is another amazing song. Great reaction and Peace out ✌️ ☮️ 🙏
The group is Big Brother and the Holding Company, Janis’s group. This album was brought home by my brother from the Viet Nam conflict and I became a fan. “Piece of My Heart” and “ Ball and Chain” were in that album, “Summertime” too and more.
In Don McLean song American Pie he wrote, " I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news but she just smiled and walked away" he was singing of Janis Joplin.
Another female vocal performance that will blow you away is Sarah Vaughn doing Misty. 1964. Live black & white video. Absolutely amazing.
That was Mama Cass and she is the reason she was filmed at the Monterey pop festival. She is all that in her own right. And that would be Big Brother and the Holding Company backing her up. Also back then we sat still for the performance
The Monterey Pop Festival took place at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California, from June 16 to 18, 1967. This landmark event is often credited with launching the "Summer of Love" and featured iconic performances by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Who, attracting around 200,000 attendees.
I've always her Singing Me and my Bobby McGee. and Piece of my heart.
This is Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, which was her band, at the Monterey Pop Music Festival, June 1967. The reason the camera keeps going to her feet is because everyone was stoned and the camera operator couldn't keep it straight. That was Mama Cass from the Mommas and the Poppas, who is also, sadly, a member of the 27 club.
I actually saw Etta James with Van Morrison when I was in like 7th grade - such an incredible show. I wish I had been able to see Janis. I know my brother saw her, and an old friend of mine actually partied with her. Janis is so incredible.
The band is Big Brother and the Holding Company.
It always irks me that the band never gets any credit. In my view, her work with Big Brother was the best she ever did.
that was the late mama cass eliot in the audience. Her band the mama's and the papa's were one of the organizers for the concert.
I'm so curious to know what you think of the song Mercedes Benz by Janice Joplin.🤔
I was lucky enough to see Janis in a small venue in Denver Colorado many years ago. She was incredible live and I was able to stand just in front of the stage no more than 10 feet away.
The three greatest live moments that I've seen reactions to are Stevie Ray Texas Flood at El Macambo, Skynard Freebird Oakland '77, and this otherworldly performance from Janis. Honorable mention virtually every performance at Woodstock 😊
The lady in the crowd? The forever memorable Mama Cass! You should enter her world. You wouldn't be sorry. Mama's and Papas or solo she was amazing! ❤
Monterey Pop Festival! Mama Cass's “California Dreaming” Classic is who they focus on in the audience! The Group “Mama’s and Papa’s”. They broke up when she died young! Iconic popular group way back in the day… We had incredible talent in the late 60’s and 70’s…I loved concerts back then because people behaved and actually listened to a concert rather than causing so much distraction today!!! It was about the music, it was a raw and Great live performance!
This was from the movie "Monterey Pop" and was edited from two separate performances -- the audience shots are from Saturday afternoon, and the band shots are from Sunday evening.
Yes, the audience didn't know what they had just seen. Big Brother was an afternoon warmup band, and nobody expected to see anything so wild and so insanely good. It caught them flat-footed, and they just didn't know what to make of it. The sound was radical; back then women did not sound like this. In groups like the Jefferson Airplane, or the Mamas and the Papas (both of whom sang at this festival), girl singers cultivated a "pretty" sound, nothing like the wild, gut-wrenching, and barely attached to the ground singing from JJ.
So most of the audience was simply too stunned to even respond. But music folks knew what they had seen, and there are several stories of rock critics and agents and producers that were utterly floored by it. Clive Davis (the president of Columbia Records) was there, and called this performance "absolutely riveting and hypnotic and compelling and soul stirring in such a way that she was representative of an epiphany that changed the rest of my life." He signed them shortly afterward (and it cost him a lot to buy them out of their previous recording contract).
The bands that were in attendance and who also witnessed this were:
Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, The Byrds, Grateful Dead, The Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, and Buffalo Springfield
The event is Monterey Pop in 1967. The band playing with Janis is Big Brother and the Holding Company.
The band is Big Brother & The Holding Company w/ Janis Joplin, the show is The Monterey Pop Festival from ’67. I believe it was the brainchild of John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas. It had a lot of really great performances from artists now considered legendary but at the time were relatively unknown, like Janis & Jimi Hendrix. And I think Big Momma Thornton is the songwriter. If you liked Etta, you may enjoy her music too. And the audience was mainly a bunch of stoned hippies so they were vibing but mellow about it.
I'm sure this has already been said, but I love you, man. This was shot at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967. It was released as a documentary "Monterey Pop" in 1968.
The BAND she's singing for is Big Brother and the Holding Company. MANY early hits are off their one album. When she cut "Pearl", as a solo artist, she went into music history. Me & Bobby McGee is from that album, not quite the same style of blues. Also check out "Another Piece of My Heart" with Big Brother.
The woman in the audience they kept panning to that looked like she was in awe was Mama Cass Eliot from the Mama's and the Papa's